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Montebelluna

Montebelluna is the chief town of Montello. In the province of Treviso, it is 48,98 sq. kms. large and at 109 mts. above sea level. The town (26.528 inhabitants) has a warm climate and is easily reachable form all centres of the Veneto region. 

Historical outline

The archaeological artefacts discovered in the Montello area prove that its present site was inhabited in black in ancient times. The Paleovenetian settlement included a sanctuary, which was with all probability erected in the whereabout of Casteller during the 4th century BC; the construction of four separate castle structures or castellieri as they were known also date prior  to the Roman Empire. By the temi the Romans arrived to colonise the area they found themselves in front of a thriving community of peaceful and peacekeeping inhabitants who held no resistance against them. Of ancient date is also the town’s market place: during the middle ages the market was free of a taxes and levies by concession of Emperor Federico Barbarossa, a policy that was to be upheld by the Bishops of Treviso and the Doges of Venice.

Entrance with the Kingdom of Italy occurred in November 1866 and immediately after strategies to re-launch the area were implemented. Among the town’s main problems was the slow decline of its famous market. The decision was made to relocate its site resetting its position onto the area’s plains. It was around this period that local artisans began to develop their crafts, many of which specialising in the manufacture of footwear.

The First World War put the beginning of a budding industrialisation process on hold. Montebelluna found itself adjacent to the front line and became the scene of numerous battles during 1918. The Second World War was slightly less disastrous for the area than the first.

Soon after its conclusion, reconstruction work of the area initiated, signalling a definite evolution for the city of Montebelluna, which was also mirrored in the increase of its inhabitants. Since then the urban centre alone has tripled demographically. Numerous of the city’s edifices have been in some way or other either rebuilt or modified, and the local administration has seen fit to buy an array of aristocratic villas situated on the edge of its municipal territory.

 

Arts and culture

The ancient Provostal church, dedicated to the Virgin’s nativity, was consecrated by the Bishop of Grado in 1432; during the17th century the building was remodelled. The Cathedral (or Duomo) is a large building erected at the beginning of the20th century.

In the ancient centre of Mercato Vecchio is the church dedicated to the Name of Maria and to San Biagio. This religious building, once the Ospedale dell’Assunta, was founded by the order of the Battuti in 1491 and restructured at the end of the 18th century.

The site of the original market place is still today recognisable by the Colonna delle Ducati above which an image of the Virgin Mary can be clearly seen. The Ospedale Civile Caretta was established by means of private donations by one of Montebelluna’s local citizen, Caterina Zoccoletti Caretta, around the middle of the18th century.

The Roman stone walls were for many centuries visible in and around Posmon. The area was ruled during the feudal era by the Collalto Family who also erected and owned their own private church in the centre. During the Venetian Republic period, Posmon was adorned with numerous aristocratic villas of which by far the most outstanding is Villa Pola.

The hamlet of Biadene’s church was erected thanks to donations from the aristocrat Alvise Pisani. This religious building has the honour of housing Tiepolo’s very first masterpiece, a fresco depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary dating 1717.

The Oratorio delle Crozzole was erected along via Feltrina where formerly a capital dedicated to the Madonna del Tre Lumi once stood. Today the church can be found in between the territories of Biadene and Caonada. Of Longobard origin is the church of Contea, originally dedicated to San Martino. The edifice was restructured and remodelled many times over and was finally renamed Madonna della Salute at the close of the 18th century.

Up until a few years ago the districts of Sant’Andrea, Borgo Contarini and San Gaetano were all collectively known as Visnà di Sotto. It was here that a handful of patriarchal families lived.

Among the many beautiful aristocratic villas that can be found within Montebelluna’s municipal territory we would like to highlight the most outstanding: Villa Pisani, a grandiose construction commissioned by the public attorney Alvise Pisani. It was bought by the municipality of Montebelluna in 1979 and currently houses the G.F. Malipiero School of Musica and the town’s Congress Centre. 

Villa Zuccareda- Binetti was founded towards the close of the16th century. The building is adorned with an impressive exterior staircese, while the Zuccareda coat of arms can be clearly seen set into the villa’s 19th century façade.

The villa has been the property of the municipality of Montebelluna since 1980 and is destined to house the Sports Footwear and Ski boot miseum.

The 17th century Barchessa Biagi was formerly the property of the Mocenigo Family before passing into the hands of the Barbarigo’s. It is currently the site of the National History and Archaeology Museum, where pieces discovered throughout the territory from Prehistoric, Paleoventian and Roman eras are on display.  

 

 

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